Australia has announced it has contracted with a French company to build 12 diesel-electric submarines. The contract is Australia’s largest ever defence agreement. Other frontrunners to build the Aussie boats were Germany and Japan.

Japan may have lost out because Australia’s largest trading partner is China, and the Chinese currently have tense relations with Japan.

Much of the actual construction will take place in Australia. An interesting model for the Canadian Defence Policy Review to look at.

Canadian Authors Association members in Victoria sponsored a very successful event in Victoria on February 28th. Presenting was Victoria author, book reviewer and seller Robert J. Wiersema, pictured here with Liz Walker. Liz and fellow member Myrtle Siebert, assisted by Steve Szalai, were key people behind the event. Robert’s talk, “Seven Myths of the Writing Life,” attracted a roomful of interested writers and readers, including attendees from the Lower Mainland.

For all those fans of “Supernatural” who caught last night’s episode, “The Vessel”, here’s an external photo of the amazing submarine replica built in Burnaby for the shoot.

This is director John Badham, with two of the torpedo tubes featured in the production. Hats off to the crew who put the amazing set together.

There were times when I had to shake my head to remind myself I’m not back aboard USS RASHER. This is a mockup, and the flames in the corner of the control room are real flames, but will be turned off once the cameras have the shot.

In late 2015 I was hired as technical adviser for an episode of “Supernatural”, the episode itself directed by legendary Hollywood director John Badham. The episode, entitled “The Vessel”, is due to be shown on Wednesday, February 17th on the CW network locally.

The action takes place partially in a World War II United States navy submarine, BLUEFIN, and hence the need for a submariner as adviser.

It was a fascinating experience, as I’d never hung around a working set and shoot before. What made it especially interesting for me was that way back in 1964, as a green-around-the-gills sublieutenant in the Royal Canadian Navy, I had spent two weeks at sea in a US Navy submarine, USS RASHER (AGSS 269)–BLUEFIN’s real-life counterpart. RASHER’s Commanding Officer commented in a letter that I had “participated actively in the conduct of our exercises as assistant to the ship’s conning officer”. I guess that’s what I was doing when the photo of me on the periscope was snapped, although I look like I was reacting to a joke from one of the very professional but–being submariners–informal American crew.

Pictured at left are plaques with the emblems of Canada’s three Oberon-class submarines. The O’s dated from the mid 1960’s, and for 30 years were the backbone of the Canadian Submarine Service, superseded by the Victorias in the 2000s.
The RCN’s submarine branch has spotty history, dating from the 1914 acquisition of CC1 and CC2 by the British Columbia (!) government. The arrival of the British-built Oberons, HMCS Ojibwa, Onondaga and Okanagan, along with the former American Grilse and Rainbow marked a sustained submarine presence for the Royal Canadian Navy.
Predating the Oberons, Canada made use of the Sixth Submarine Squadron, a Royal Navy squadron of three A-class boats stationed in Halifax from 1954 until the last one left for the UK in 1966.
The role of the A-boats of SM6 was to serve as targets for the RCN and RCAF’s antisubmarine forces. That job continued for the reinvigorated submarine service, but was augmented by operational duties.
More to come.

(the photo above was taken in 2014 in the Crowsnest Club in St. John’s, Newfoundland)

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Forces With History" is published via email 1-2 times a month. It deals with issues of interest regarding Canadian armed forces, modern and historical. Please give it a try if so inclined--comments and feedback are always welcome!